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Executive Chat with Rebecca Patt,
SVP Development at Wray Executive Search
Top 10 Recruiting Secrets from a Salty Old Headhunter Here are my top ten strategies for making anyone a better interviewer and recruiter for their team. It’s the common sense stuff that isn’t common to everyone.
Write down your interview questions in advance. Prepare to ask all candidates the same questions. You will be more organized and better able to evaluate candidates in a methodical way.
Line up interviews back to back. This makes it easier to evaluate candidates and to get into the flow of interviewing.
Recruit first. Ask questions later. Take time to explain at the beginning of the interview what’s in it for the candidate, then ask your questions. Learn what is most important to your candidate. Most people want the same kinds of things: opportunity to grow, a rewarding challenge, a good team and supervisor, competitive compensation and incentives, and work-life balance are typically high on the list.
Be transparent about job expectations. Much short tenure is caused by candidates realizing after starting that the job requirements are different than what they expected.
Follow up in a timely fashion. The war for talent will not be won by slow pokes. Don’t let more than a few days go by without moving a candidate to the next step in the process. This includes extending an offer, or deciding not to extend one, after a final interview.
Remember the 40/40/10/10 formula. A simple way to sort through the clutter of information in deciding if a candidate is a good fit is to consider this ratio: Base 40% of the decision on the candidate’s proven track record in accomplishing the specific goals and priorities of the job, 40% on their motivation and attitude to do the job well, 10% on background and reference checks, and 10% on your gut feeling.
Identify and address the concerns of the candidate before extending an offer. Are there any deal breakers for the candidate? You want your candidate to say “yes” when you make the offer.
Respectfully put a time limit on the offer. If your candidate needs more than a few days to provide an answer, chances are the deal is going sideways. Unless you are actively negotiating, don’t get strung along.
Always have a Plan B. Have a back-up candidate who is equally far along in the interview process at the time of extending the offer to the first-choice candidate. If Plan A falls through, Plan B may be meant to be.
Work with a top-notch executive recruiter in your niche. A good recruiter will be able to quickly recruit top talent you wouldn’t otherwise be able to access and to help with every step of the process to get the best result. Need to recruit a winning executive team for your restaurant or food service company? Contact Rebecca Patt at rebecca@wraysearch.com. Need to recruit powerhouse executive talent for your team? Contact Rebecca Patt at rebecca@wraysearch.com. I’m also open to suggestions for powerhouse individuals to feature in Executive Chat. Please email me their name and a short description. Thanks!——
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